Sacramento unemployment falls to 5.2 percent

Sacramento’s unemployment rate fell to 5.2 percent in September amid a surge of job growth, state officials reported Friday. California unemployment held steady at 5.5 percent despite another strong month of job creation.

The region’s unemployment dropped two-tenths of a percentage point as employers in the four-county area added 5,000 jobs, according to the state Employment Development Department. Much of the job growth was seasonal, including 3,600 jobs created by public schools.

But there were also unusual signs of prosperity. The construction industry, which usually starts paring back in September, added 1,500 jobs.

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Taken together, the state and regional numbers indicate the California economy is continuing to do well in spite of signs of a slowdown on the national level.

Even though California’s unemployment rate was unchanged, employers hired 30,000 workers during September. California accounted for nearly one-fifth of the 156,000 jobs created nationwide. California’s job growth was the second highest in the nation, following Texas.

For the past year, California has created 379,800 jobs, the most of any state and a growth rate of 2.3 percent. The Sacramento region has added 27,000 jobs, a 2.9 percent growth rate.

Job growth has markedly improved in the Sacramento area, which until recently had lagged the state’s recovery, although there have been some hiccups. Verizon announced recently it’s closing its Rancho Cordova customer service center, eliminating 1,000 jobs.